The goal of the seminar is to explore what fishes, the largest group of living vertebrates, can tell us about our own bodies. This course was inspired by two things. The first is the interest of the Course Instructor, Professor Andrew Bass, in the evolution of the central nervous system and social communication behaviors among vertebrates. The second is Neil Shubin's book, Your Inner Fish, published in 2008 (Pantheon). The focus of Shubin's book and the goal of the seminar (see above) are one and the same. It is a very enjoyable read that will teach you a lot about the evolutionary biology of vertebrates and also tells you in a storybook fashion about how scientific research often proceeds.

The beginning of the seminar will focus on a discussion of selected chapters from Shubin's book led by Professor Bass. This will be followed by discussions led by one or two students, depending on the enrollment. The student-led discussions, planned in consultation with Professor Bass, can easily take off from chapters in the book that cover topics ranging from locomotion using either fins or limbs to smell, vision, hearing and speech. Alternatively, each student might want to present a topic not touched upon in the book. Each student(s) presentation will center on their own exploration, based on other readings (journal publications or book chapters), of how the organization of the vertebrate nervous system and a behavior varies between fishes and terrestrial vertebrates. Discussions of the nervous system can range from genes and development to individual brain regions (e. g., olfactory bulb or spinal cord) or entire networks that perform information processing across multiple brain regions.

Aside from leading or co-leading a discussion, a second requirement is to formulate and briefly answer (250-500 words) a question before coming to each meeting related to that week's readings (except the week you are presenting) that will help guide the discussion.